Protecting Me
by ScorpioGirl1987
Summary: Moxanne. After his car breaks down on prom night, Max and Roxanne are attacked by thugs. Roxanne ends up in a coma, after Max promises he will protect her. Max feels guilty and doesn't know if he'll be able to face his girlfriend.
1. Gangs of Spoonerville

**I've been listening to some teen tragedy songs lately, and I also analyze way too much. LOL I'm just saying, Max's behavior in An Extremely Goofy Movie...something must have happened to make him kind of...well...an ass. And it would also explain why Roxanne wasn't in AEGM.**

**So, this takes place during Max's junior year in high school. I do not own A Goofy Movie, it belongs to Disney.**

"Well, tonight was fun."

Max and Roxanne were on their way home from their juinor prom. They were made prom king and queen, which made Max's year.

Roxanne smiled teasingly. "You're only saying that, 'cause you and I were made prom king and queen!"

"Oh, I did not!" Max shot back, teasingly. They laughed. "That is a major contribution, though."

Roxanne giggled and kissed Max on the cheek. "I love you."

Max opened his mouth to reply, when his car started stalling. He pulled over. "Aw, crud."

"What's wrong?"

"My car broke down." Max tried to restart it, but the car sputtered and exploded. Roxanne yelped in surprise as smoke started rising from the hood.

Max swore under his breath, got out of the car and ran to open the hood. Smoke came billowing out. He backed off, coughed and waved away the smoke. "Roxanne, there's a flashlight in the glove compartment. See if you can find it."

Roxanne complied and fished around for the flashlight. She found it, turned it on, and climbed out to give it to Max.

"Thanks." Max shone the flashlight under the hood. After a few minutes, he blinked. "I...have no idea what's wrong."

Roxanne raised an eyebrow. "All that bonding with your dad, and you never fixed a car under the hood?"

"We never had to fix a car." Max shrugged. "We fixed a flat tire, though."

"Well, in that case..." Roxanne gently pushed Max o8t of the way and surveyed the damage. "Hmmmm...you need to change the battery."

Max was surprised. "How do you...?"

"My dad showed me a little bit about cars." Roxanne answered.

Max sighed and closed the hood. "Well, this stinks." He folded his arms and leaned against the hood. "Do you have your phone?"

Roxanne pulled out her mobile phone from her purse, and sighed in disappointment. "Battery's dead."

Max sighed and shook his head. "Well, this is a fine predicament."

They stood for a few minutes. Roxanne surveyed the area. "There must be a pay phone somewhere."

Max locked his car doors and put his keys in his pocket. "Well, let's start walking, then."

XX

Max and Roxanne walked for about twenty minutes until they got to a construction site with no way to pass. Max noticed an alleyway.

"You know what? We're gonna cut through this alley." Max started walking towards it. "It leads to another street that will hopefully have a pay phone."

Roxanne hesitated and hung back. "Max, I don't know. This isn't exactly the safest neighborhood in town."

Max turned around and smiled reassuringly at his girlfriend, and took her hands "Roxanne, I promise I will not let anything happen to you. You're safe with me." He caressed Roxanne's cheek softly.

Roxanne relaxed and smiled up at her boyfriend. "Okay. I trust you."

Max smiled and offered his arm. Roxanne took his arm tight, and held his hand. They walked quickly and quietly through the alleyway. They reached the end and turned a corner. Sounds of people laughing and talking grew louder as the duo turned the corner. Max stopped and swallowed nervously as they saw a few gang members towards the end of the alley.

"Maybe if we're real quiet, we'll be able to sneak by without being noticed." Max whispered. Roxanne nodded in agreement. Unfortunately, Max's plan didn't work. He ran into a garbage can hard enough to knock the lid off, grabbing the gangsters' attention.

"Well, well, well..." Said a burly man in his early twenties. "Sup, homie?"

"What's a nice couple like you doing out so late, huh?" Asked a skinnier man with longish, unruly hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Uhh...we're just, uh, walking home from our school prom." Max answered. He started to sweat nervously. "We-we're just passing through. Don't mind us- we won't cause any trouble." Max started pulling Roxanne towards the exit, but was stopped buy another gangster with a clean-shaven head and a goatee.

"Whoa. Not so fast." He said, holding his arm out to stop them. "What's your name?"

"Uh...M-m-max." Max stammered._ 'Come on, let us pass so we can get the heck out of here!'_ He thought frantically. He was starting to shake. Roxanne was cutting off his circulation in his arm. He could hear her breathing heavily.

"Max..." The man nodded. He nodded and smiled creepily at Roxanne. "Nice girl you have here." He unsheathed a knife. Warning bells went off in Max's head. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Uh...it's Roxanne." Roxanne swallowed nervously. Her voice was shaking, and so was the rest of her body. Her heart started pounding against her chest.

"Damn!" Exclaimed the burly gangster. "I'd definitely tap that ass!"

Max glared at the thug and clenched his fists. He stepped sideways in front of Roxanne, protecting her. "Out of our way..._now_."

"Oooooohhhhh..." The gang chorused.

"We got ourselves a tough nut here, boys!" One of them exclaimed. He pushed up his sleeves and chuckled.

Roxanne clutched onto Max's jacket and whimpered quietly. Max tensed up and continued thinking of a way out. It was very dark, however, there were a few lights. From what he could see, the thugs were blocking their only way out. He slowly turned around and hugged Roxanne comfortingly, while keeping an eye on the thugs.

"I'll distract them while you make a run for it." Max whispered.

Roxanne nodded and swallowed again. Her heart hammered in her chest so hard, it might burst free.

"Well, ain't that sweet." Chortled the pony tailed gangster. "Prince Charming comforting his princess!"

Max turned to the thug and laughed humorlessly. "Oh, I'm sure you'd do the same if you were in my shoes. However, the only girls you would be able to get would be the ones working on a pole."

"You wanna repeat that, smart ass?" The thug pushed Max. He stumbled backwards.

"You heard me, asshole." He swung his fist back and punched the thug hard in the nose. "Now beat it!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe you are in _our_ turf." The heavyset thug said. He grabbed Max's collar and reared his fist back. Max ducked out of the way, causing the heavyset thug to punch the pony tailed thug.

Roxanne gasped, hitched up her dress and started running towards the exit. One of the thugs noticed and ran after her. Roxanne yelped as the thug grabbed her.

"Not so fast, princess."

"Let go of me!" Roxanne protested. She tried to pull away and started hitting the thug. "Aaahhh! Max!"

"Hey, leave her alone!" Max exclaimed. He jumped on the offending thug's back. The thug threw Max off. Roxanne dropped to the ground and swung-kicked the thug to the ground. She hopped up and two more thugs grabbed her. "No! Let me go, dammit!" She tried kicking the thugs, but to no avail.

Max slowly and clumsily stood up. "All right, you asked for it!" He charged at one of the thugs holding Roxanne hostage and pushed him to the ground. He heard Roxanne starting to sob, and extended a comforting hand. "It'll be all right, Roxy-"

_BAM!_

All at once, Max heard a shot ringing out, and a silver bullet piercing his stomach. Pain like nothing he felt before ripped through his body. He felt blood spilling out where the pain was. He felt dizzy and sank to his knees, then collapsed sideways.

"NOOOO! MAX!" Roxanne screamed in horror. She sobbed harder and tried harder to pull away from her captor. "NO! NO!"

Through blurred vision, Max saw Roxanne trying desperately to get to him, then the gangsters surrounding Roxanne. The last thing he heard before blacking out were the sounds of Roxanne screaming and crying, cloth ripping, and distant sirens.

**o.o I know. That was intense! Don't worry, this is gonna be the most intense chapter in this story!**


	2. Promise

Goofy wasn't one to worry too much about Max. He knew he was responsible, he's never had a ticket or gotten into an accident, and he always made sure Goofy knew where he was.

However, it was half past two in the morning, and Max _still_ wasn't home. Goofy was getting worried. He called the hotel where his junior prom was held to see if Max booked a room, no Max. He called Bobby's parents, no Max. He called Roxanne's father, he wasn't home or was asleep. He finally called Pete, and -yep, you guessed it- no Max.

"Pete, what am I going to do?" Goofy lamented. "He's never stayed out all night! I think something might've happened to him."

Pete was tired. He yawned. "Maybe he checked in at the hotel where the prom was."

"I called the hotel. He isn't there." Goofy moaned and rubbed his forehead. "I just hope he's okay.."

Pete sighed. "I dunno, Goof-"

"Oh, what _do_ you know?" Goofy snapped. He instantly regretted that. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Pete. I didn't mean that."

Pete glared at the phone, then shrugged it off. "Hey, you're worried about your kid."

Goofy smiled slightly and took that as forgiveness. "Thanks, Petey."

"All right." He yawned again. "Good-night" Pete hung up.

"Good night." Goofy hung up and sighed again. He put his head in his hands. He thought about going out to find him, but, then realized Max took the car. But since when did that stop Goofy? The phone's ring startled Goofy out of his thoughts. He picked up the phone. "Max?"

"Mr. Goofy, this is Doctor Ellishing at Spoonerville General. Your son was found in an alley with a gunshot wound in his chest..."

Goofy's stomach dropped. His heart started pounding loudly, his breath caught in his throat, his whole body was shaking, the doctor on the other line sounded echo-y, and the fireplace and TV across the room seemed to distance themselves. After the doctor hung up, Goofy dropped the phone and sprinted to Pete's to borrow his car.

XX

After fifteen minutes of pounding on the Pete's door, Pete yelling at Goofy, Peg yelling at Pete for yelling at Goofy, Peg volunteered to drive Goofy to the hospital. They ran through the emergency room before finding out what happened to Max.

"He's in Operating Room four." The nurse told them. Goofy rushed through the doors followed by Peg. "Hey, you can't go through there!" Goofy ignored her. He found the operating room.

A team of six doctors were working on Max. A lump rose to Goofy's throat and his eyes stung with tears. _'How could I let this happen?'_ He thought sadly. He watched with his hands pressed against the glass window above the door.

"Maxie..." He whispered, his voice shaking. Peg put a comforting hand on her friends' shoulder.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Peg said comfortingly. "He's strong and resourceful. He'll pull through."

Goofy put a hand over Peg's and closed his eyes. "Thanks." Goofy let Peg lead him to the couches in the waiting area.

"I need to go home for a while." Peg said. "PJ still doesn't know what's going on. And I'll have Pete pick up your car."

Goofy nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Goofy watched Peg walk off. Sleep then overcame Goofy, and he lay on the couch and closed his eyes.

XX

Goofy was woken up by the hustle and bustle of the morning shift. Sunlight shone through the windows. Goofy got up and walked to OR Four. He looked through the window and saw the same team working on who looked like Max. The surgeons finally stopped. They bowed their heads. One of them put a sheet over the patients' head, another checked the time, and another wrote something on a clipboard. Realization dawned on Goofy.

Max was...gone...forever...

Goofy turned around and sank to the floor. He shook his head slowly, tears streaming down his face.

"Goofy?"

Goofy looked up to see Peg. "I was just coming to find you. Max got out of surgery while you were asleep."

"Wh...what?" Goofy stood up. "You...you mean...?" He looked towards the operating room.

Peg put the puzzle together. "Oh, Goofy, you thought he was still in there."

"Yeah..." They got out of the way as the door opened and the doctors walked out. One of them walked to two young women with blonde hair.

Peg took Goofy's hand again. "Come on. Max is in room 235 west 6."

They went to Max's recovery room. Max was sleeping peacefully. He looked so small and fragile to Goofy. He slowly walked to Max's side, and took one of his hands in his. Max's hand felt warm which was a comfort to the worried father. Goofy gently squeezed his sons' hand.

"Maxie...I'm so sorry..." Goofy sniffed. "It should be me on the hospital bed, not you." He kept hold of Max's hand and lay his head on the bed.

_'I never want to have these feelings again.' _Goofy thought forlornly. _'I promise, Maxie: I'll never let anything happen to you again.'_

**I was going to skip right to when Max wakes up, but I decided to add Goofy's point of view on what happened that night. I also wanted to give Goofy a GOOD friend to be there for him, and Peg was the first person that came to my mind.**


	3. Awakening

It seemed like an eternity he's been asleep. Max went from dreaming about the College X Games to hearing low humming and his own heart beating. Light shone though his eyes and his hand felt clammy, like someone has been holding it for a long time. He let out a huge breath with came out a groan. Someone shifted next to him and gasped quietly.

"Maxie?"

Max opened his eyes to see his father standing over him with a worried expression on his face. "Dad?" He whispered weakly.

Goofy exhaled sharply with relief. "Oh, Maxie!" He hugged his son tightly and sniffed. "I thought I would lose you."

It all came back to him. He and Roxanne were on their way home from prom, their car broke down, they cut through an alley...ran into thugs...and Max got shot.

"Roxanne?" Max asked.

Goofy let go of Max and sat up. "She's in a coma, Max."

Max's stomach dropped. A lump rose to his throat and his heart pounded. "I...I have to see her." He swung the covers off and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

Goofy put both his hands on his shoulders. "Max, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to see my girlfriend." Max said bluntly.

"Max, you just woke up after five hours of surgery and nine hours of resting." Goofy sat Max back on the bed. "You need to take it easy."

"I will as soon as I see Roxanne." Max insisted.

Before Goofy could respond, a nurse came in. "Oh, good. You're awake." She wrote something on her clipboard. Max gave in and lay on his bed. "How are you feeling, Max?"

"Fine. My side is a little sore, but..."

"Well, you just had surgery." The nurse replied. "It will have an effect on you. Anything else? Headache? Stomachache?"

Max shook his head. The nurse nodded and wrote more on her clipboard. "Is there a way I can check up on my girlfriend?"

"You may tomorrow. That's when we'll release you." The nurse replied. She turned to Goofy. "He'll have to stay overnight. After that, I'll give him a prescription for antibiotics."

Goofy nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." The nurse left.

Goofy watched the nurse leave and sighed. "Max, if you want, I can go check on Roxanne for ya."

"Thanks." Max smiled. His smile faded as he remembered the car. "What happened to the car?"

"Pete picked it up. The windows were all broken and there's graffitti all over." Goofy explained.

Max sighed and closed his eyes. "Dad, I'm so sorry."

Goofy smiled and ruffled Max's hair gently. "You're safe. That's what's important."

Max smiled. He almost forgot what a cool dad he had.

XX

After talking to the police about what happened, Max got a visit from PJ and Bobby.

"Dude. You okay?" PJ asked looking concerned.

Max smiled. "Yeah, Peej. I'm fine." He sighed. "My car isn't, though..."

"Oh, yeah. Dad wouldn't stop talking about it." PJ said.

Max shook his head. Trust a car salesman to go on and on about the damage of someone elses' car.

"Is Roxanne okay?" Bobby asked.

Max sighed. "She's in a coma. I haven't gone to see her yet."

"My dad said Roxanne's dad was over at your house banging on the door. He lashed out at your dad. I think he blames you for the ah...incident." PJ reported. "Roxanne's dad, anyway."

"Oh, yeah. Stacy told me he went rampaging through the hospital the moment he heard." Bobby put in.

"Well, I can't blame him." Max slumped in his bed. "It _is_ my fault. I wanted to take a shortcut through that alley."

"Dude, come on. You didn't want that to happen." PJ shook his head. "Don't blame yourself."

"Yeah. If anything, it's those creeps' fault!" Bobby put in. "They're the ones who attacked you."

Max smiled at his friends. He was reminded of why he has such a strength in him that can get him through anything.

XX

Later that night, Max found out which room Roxanne was in. He slowly and quietly made his way towards her room. Max made sure no one was looking and quietly walked in. "Hey." He whispered. He tiptoed to Roxanne's side. She was laying peacefully on the bed with her eyes closed. He could see that she had a few bruises and scratches on her arms, face, and neck. Max swallowed back a lump and gently took her hand.

"Roxanne...I'm sorry." He said softly. His heart felt heavy. He took a deep breath. "Please...give me a sign- any sign to tell me you're gonna be okay."

For a few minutes, nothing happened. Then Roxanne turned her head towards Max, opened her eyes long enough to see him, smiled, then went back to sleep. Max chuckled with relief and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm here, Roxy." He climbed onto her bed and fell asleep next to her.

**Yeah, I know- both chapters ended kind of the same. The next chapter will be the last at the hospital, then I have around four chapters left after that.**


End file.
